How to secure your space from fraudsters taking advantage of new home technology.

If you're worried about hackers, one option is waiting to adopt technologies like fingerprint door entry until security has been bolstered.

By Geoff Williams June 6, 2014 | 9:00 a.m. EDT

Compared with the houses many of us grew up in, smart homes are intellectual giants. With these homes, smartphones can control everything from the security system to the television, and doors can be unlocked with the touch of a fingerprint. Thermostats “learn” your preferences and adjust accordingly depending on the weather. Designers of these homes say that someday, your mattress may alert your coffee maker when to start brewing. Meanwhile, conventional houses just kind of sit there, requiring humans to switch on the lights and dial down the music.

But old-fashioned dwellings may be preferable if the future means hackers will try to use our smart homes against us. If that becomes a thing, owning a smart home could start to seem pretty dumb.

It's happening already. Earlier this year, some Ohio parents found that a hacker had infiltrated their baby monitor and was yelling at their 10-month-old; last year, something similar happened with a two-year-old in Texas. Also in 2013, Miss Teen USA, Cassidy Wolf, discovered that a hacker used her webcam to obtain photos of her undressing in her bedroom. (The hacker, who turned out to be a former classmate, was recently sentenced to 18 months in prison.)

And several months ago, Proofpoint, a vendor of data protection services, said it discovered a hack that utilized "more than 750,000 malicious email communications coming from more than 100,000 everyday consumer gadgets such as home-networking routers, connected multimedia centers, televisions and at least one refrigerator that had been compromised and used as a platform to launch attacks.”

In other words, instead of using your email and computer router to send spam, a hacker could potentially use the software that opens your garage door to send thousands of malicious emails.

If it hasn't happened yet, it could. If all of the above isn't unsettling, consider that last year, a Chicago-based security company called Trustwave Holdings released a public statement advising Lixil, a Japanese-based toilet manufacturer that sells the Satis smart toilet, that it is vulnerable to a hack attack.

"Any attacker could simply download the 'My Satis' application and use it to cause the toilet to repeatedly flush, raising the water usage and therefore utility cost to its owner," Trustwave's advisory read. "Attackers could cause the unit to unexpectedly open/close the lid, [or] activate bidet or air-dry functions, causing discomfort or distress to user."

Smart-home hacking is "a problem already, and it's just going to continuously get worse," says Jerry Irvine, a member of the National Cyber Security Task Force, which is overseen by the National Cyber Security Partnership. He’s also the chief information officer of Prescient Solutions, a Chicago-based IT outsourcer.

"It could be a guy sitting in a car parked in your driveway, and he turns off your alarm, and then he goes into your house and robs you. Or it can be downright orneriness, like causing a toilet to be continuously flushed," Irvine says. "But the real risks are the hackers who gain access to your devices, because if they can get into your thermostat, refrigerator and smart TV and begin listening on your network, then they can begin finding your usernames and passwords, and they can get to your financial information. It's scary."

As Eric Ackerman, dean of Nova Southeastern University’s Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, puts it: "Any system has the potential to be hacked … If someone really wants access to something and they have enough resources, they will get it."

Often, hackers aren't looking for financial gain, says Jordan Edelson, a software developer and CEO of Appetizer Mobile, a New York City-based mobile app company. "The majority of these hackers aren't your average criminal or thief. It's all about the bragging rights to be able to say, 'Hey, I hacked into this house. Look what I can do.' If they can turn on a camera in the house and mess with the lights and freak out the homeowner, it's a high."

Solutions. You could avoid technology, but technology gurus suggest the following instead:

Hire a professional. If you think your home is vulnerable, Irvine says there are numerous mainstream services, such as Best Buy’s Geek Squad and others at large electronics retailers, that can ensure your smart home systems are protected with firewalls. "They typically charge you $75 an hour and will take an hour or two," Irvine says of such services, adding that you should make sure to change your passwords so the person who set your system up doesn't gain access to all the smart devices in your home.

Update your software. If a device sends you a patch to protect your equipment from malware or offers some sort of software update, don't ignore it, Edelson urges. "Deployment is sometimes a hassle, but you want to mitigate your risk and exposure the best you can," he says. Besides, hassle or not, those updates are sent for a reason.

Protect your phone. Smart homes are closely tied to smartphones, so you don't want to lose yours. Set up safeguards in case you do. Irvine stresses the importance of having a PIN number to lock your smartphone so others can't access it, although he admits that for a hacker, "the PIN is nothing but a nuisance." He says most hackers can get around the PIN number within 15 seconds to five minutes.

Eschew technology – for now. If you are nervous, don't be an early adapter. Wait for smart home technology to work out the kinks. Since the industry wants you as a consumer, it's a safe bet that the questions swirling around the safety of smart homes will eventually be answered.

"It's up to the designers of the hardware and software to design ways to prevent hacking. We don't have the details of the designs used to run these systems," Ackerman says.

Edelson agrees. "The smart home systems are still very fragmented," he says. But as more companies get into the business and smart homes become even smarter, he says the risks of hacking will decrease.

We'd better hope so. It was always unnerving to know a bad guy could barge through the front door or access our bank accounts by attacking our computers, but it's really frightening to think that someday we'll worry about being accosted through our televisions, toilets and thermostats. And apparently, as a society, we are not yet adept at securing smart refrigerators and lighting systems.

Enter Name OR Phone # or email address (don't forget to check your cell, your home, etc)IF it shows up....click on the link address at the top of the page and copy itGo to the bottom of the page and Click on Privacy or click here http://www.spokeo.com/privacyScroll to the bottom of the page and insert the url you copiedThen enter your email address (make sure it is NOT your main email address or this will just happen again)Then enter CodeClick on Remove ListingGo to your email for further instructions....you must click on the link to finish the process

ABOUT SPOKEO

Spokeo is a leading people search engine. We aggregate vast quantities of public data and organize the information into attractive and easy-to-follow profiles. You can search for anyone using: Unlike other people search sites, Spokeo merges “real life” information (address, email address, marital status, etc.) with social network data (Facebook profiles, Twitter feeds, etc.) providing you with a profile that is among the most comprehensive profiles available on the Web. Spokeo was founded in 2006 by Harrison Tang and a couple of his classmates at Stanford University. Working out of their parents’ basement, they developed a technology to better keep up with their friends online. Spokeo has since grown to become a leading solution to America’s connectivity needs. Our mission is to help people find, learn about, and connect with others more easily than ever.Spokeo Privacy – Get the Scoop from the Sourcehttp://www.spokeo.com/blog/2011/01/spokeo-privacy-get-scoop-from-source/

HOW TO SET UP GMAIL Account (Free email account) & Forwarding Instructions (Repost from March 2012)Click below to go to GMail GMailClick on: Create Account (top right hand corner)

Complete the Info requested on the screen:

You will pick a username for your account here - and password (Remember these two)(You do NOT have to enter correct information for any of the other fields if you choose not to & You do NOT have to enter your secondary email address here either)AGREE TO TERMS

CLICK NEXT STEPSKIP THE PROFILE (unless you want to set it up) and Click NEXTClick on CONTINUE TO GMAIL Your GMail account is now ready to use..IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR GMAIL FORWARDED TO YOUR REGULAR EMAIL ACCOUNT (so you only have to use your current email account and not log into GMail) FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW:On top right of page: Grey box that looks like a wheel (this is the Settings Tab) Choose SETTINGS from the drop down menuClick on: Forwarding & POP/IMAP tab

Click on: Add a forwarding address

Click on: Forward a copy of Incoming Mail

Enter the email address you want to receive all gmail emails sent to you (For example: when I set up my gmail accounts, I forward a copy to my aol account so ALL emails that come in to my gmail account are AUTOMATICALLY forwarded to my main email) Which means I do NOT have to log into Gmail to get my email. SAVE CHANGESA confirmation code email will be sent to the email you enteredGo to your email and click on the link that says ALLOW TO FORWARD Then go back to your NEW GMail account and Again Click on Forwarding & POP/IMAP Click on Forward a copy to email Click on SAVE CHANGES

Thanks to several of you who forwarded this to us.....We thought is was good enough to post as an additional warning

PLEASE READ.......

I have replaced our normal chat comments today with this post – an excellent read and thanks Mr. Bentley!!

I left this warning in the Blog one more day – IT’S THAT IMPORTANT!! Be very careful about who you allow to have your personal information. It will be out in open (soon) as to who are the main actors at the core of these “bank package schemes” are – it’s not the Guru’s you know and love – it’s possible they are being DUPED as well (best case). You will be furious when the truth comes out.

I have been hearing about, “Bank Deals” for months and months. Every “deal” I’ve checked out, was a hoax. I know bankers and bank procedures pretty well. I have 9 bank accounts with 4 different banks. I have been in business for myself most of my life and currently own two businesses. The bank Presidents I speak to say, “we won’t know anything in the local banks, until the final button is pushed”. Even the Regional Banks do not know for sure because this thing has changed so many times. They are sick and tired of the questions and have quit giving out any information.

A few “whales” have negotiated some fringe benefits or side deals based on the movement of additional large Commercial Loans or other hefty deposits, financing projects, etc. in conjunction with their exchange, but he’s going to get the same “exchange rate” as any other client at that bank. What do you think would happen if one “minnow” like you or me, ratted a bank out for giving a “whale” a better International Currency Exchange Rate than us common folk?

I just happened to be in Tampa at the time all the Wells Fargo “Yuppies” were there getting training on the Da La Rue machines and “currency exchange” procedures” so I know for a fact, they were there. They didn’t send all those people there for milk, some fig newtons and a fire-side pep rally on housing foreclosures….but nothing came about. Why? because they are on the same merry-go-round we are on. Its the “Pump-go-round” at the “Misconception Circus”. They thought is was about to happen and perhaps it really was set to happen. Just like the other 50 times it should have happened this year….and didn’t).

I was asked the other day, “are you keeping up with all the bank deals?” I said, “I sure am”! ” I want to make certain I don’t go to any of them!” I think the latest deal out there reads something like….”call us, give us your info so you will be the first to cash in at a rate no one else will get”. That’s B.S.! (B.S. is a Baptist term for…”Better Sleep-on-it”) .

Take a time out and ask your common sense to sit with you for a moment and just talk. (You know, like you used to before he left about a year ago for parts unknown). Give someone your name, address, and other vital information probably including how much Dinar you have….and they will put you on their list. Really? What list? the “priority list of scam targets”? You might as well send them your Dinar to hold for you while you are out getting that bullseye tattooed on your forehead!

I’m not saying that everyone offering a “Bank Deal” is crooked. Or that there may not be some type of legitimate, “deal” of some sort for a group. But I DO NOT BELIEVE that banks have the luxury of offering the next person in line a different exchange rate that the man with the suitcase in front of him. There may be fringe benefits based on the length of time the deposits must remain in the bank, etc. But, I believe the actual “exchange rate” must be the same.

We have been told that here are some pretty heavy hitters that have already been “taken” and some who were very close to being taken in scams represented as a, “bank deal”. Some are still shaking from the experience. Lets just check the list of things that would have to happen….

* First, you need to find someone you know and trust personally, who’s integrity is beyond question, and that you would be willing to trust with your entire estate. (there are some out there, but ya gotta look hard).

* Next: he needs to have an “in” with a banker that you don’t have and cannot get.

* Then: that banker needs to have the same compassionate heart and pure motive that your friend has and is willing to work on something special, just for you.

* Next: The Banker has to have an “in” in Upper Management who is willing to risk his/her job to leak info the branch grunts on the front line..* And: Upper Management has to have an “in” somewhere where information is totally accurate so they can make a deal for the future that they can commit to and live with…by-the-way, where the heck is that place?

* Finally, ask yourself… am I really that lucky?

I don’t want to be a wet blanket but - C’MON people!! You need to start thinking or you are going to be poorer than you were before this thing ever started.

Don’t share any information about yourself, your plans or the amount of Dinar you have. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH, make your deal and live with it. that is not to say, don’t get help from professional’s when the time comes, Just quit depending on someone else to make your initial deal(s) for you. You were smart enough to invest in this, be smart enough to protect it. Then, get tax and investment counsel from the people you can now afford to hire! Make your own deal. Tailor it to your specific needsUnfortunately, the ones who will get hurt the worst on this “exchange” are the same ones that have never researched a thing. They just read, complain, listen to CC’s and comment on those that do. And when they get hurt, they will blame the lousy advise and incorrect information they got in the “Chat rooms, blogs and Guru’s”.

I quit giving out advise on the Dinar a couple years ago when it suddenly dawned on me that I was setting myself up as a “professional Dinar advisor”. BUT JUST FOR YOU GUYS, I WILL COME OUT OF THAT CLOSET ONE MORE TIME AND GIVE YOU THE BEST ADVISE YOU WILL EVER GET – GUARANTEED! … Don’t take too much advice!!!…even mine!Mr. Bentley Footnote: Mr. Bentley is a close personal friend with significant banking, currency and overseas contacts. He is “the real McCoy” – unlike some of the other “enigmas” out there.

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online Sixty million euro has been stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber bank raid after fraudsters raided dozens of financial institutions around the world. According to a joint report by software security firm McAfee and Guardian Analytics, more than 60 firms have suffered from what it has called an "insider level of understanding". "The fraudsters' objective in these attacks is to siphon large amounts from high balance accounts, hence the name chosen for this research - Operation High Roller," the report said. "If all of the attempted fraud campaigns were as successful as the Netherlands example we describe in this report, the total attempted fraud could be as high as 2bn euro (£1.6bn)." The automated malicious software programme was discovered to use servers to process thousands of attempted thefts from both commercial firms and private individuals. The stolen money was then sent to so-called mule accounts in caches of a few hundreds and 100,000 euro (£80,000) at a time. Credit unions, large multinational banks and regional banks have all been attacked. Sky News defence and security editor Sam Kiley said: "It does include British financial institutions and has jumped over to North America and South America. "What they have done differently from routine attacks is that they have got into the bank servers and constructed software that is automated. "It can get around some of the mechanisms that alert the banking system to abnormal activity." The details of the global fraud come just a day after the MI5 boss warned of the new cyber security threat to UK business. McAfee researchers have been able to track the global fraud, which still continues, across countries and continents. "They have identified 60 different servers, many of them in Russia, and they have identified one alone that has been used to steal 60m euro," Kiley said. "There are dozens of servers still grinding away at this fraud – in effect stealing money."http://www.thestraighttalkexpress.com/1/post/2012/06/-fraud-ring-in-hacking-attack-on-60-banks.htmlSOURCE

Have Americans lost trust in banks? More folks are keeping valuables at home, whether in room-size vaults or under-bed safes.

By Charles Passy | SmartMoney – Thu, May 3, 2012 10:58 AM EDT

When Carlos Felipe decided to shop for the ultimate night's sleep, he headed to the New Jersey showroom of Hollandia, an Israeli manufacturer that creates custom beds running as much as $35,000. And sure enough, Felipe, a sales representative, found plenty of appealing features and options, from the adjustable bed frame powered by German-made motors to the hypoallergenic, antimicrobial latex mattress (the cover is "treated with aloe vera for a soft feel," Hollandia boasts). But the accessory that most caught Felipe's eye was designed to help him rest easy in a different way. It was a small safe, good for holding a few valuables or gold coins, ingeniously built into the base of a bed -- a modern-day answer to the idea of stashing your savings under a mattress. A duly impressed Felipe plans on using it to store his wife's jewelry and some extra cash: After all, he asks, what thief would look for such valuables in the frame of the bed itself?

In an era marked by financial turbulence, it's probably not surprising that safes have become a popular commodity, with some manufacturers, retailers and installers reporting sales increases of as much as 40 percent from a few years ago. But the bigger eyebrow-raiser is what has happened to those iconic gray-steel boxes of yore: They've undergone an extreme makeover -- or several of them. Taking the place of those old square combination jobs are a range of custom safes, from boutique showpieces to decoy models for the family den -- not to mention the truly offbeat (a hideaway lockbox resembling, ahem, a pair of men's underwear) and the seriously safe (an in-home vault with a price tag of more than $100,000). And that's not even getting into the ever-broadening array of color choices (champagne marble, anyone?) "None of our safes should be hidden in a closet," says Markus Dottling, principal at Dottling, a German specialty-safe manufacturer whose museum-worthy designs can cost more than the average American house.

One thing that isn't driving the safe boom, apparently, is crime. Indeed, U.S. burglary rates have been plunging for years. Still, experts say that many savers and investors feel a lingering sense of insecurity in their finances -- a hard-to-shake fear borne out of the jolting recession and, at times, wobbly recovery -- which is helping to spur the new safeguarding mentality. Tyler D. Nunnally, founder and CEO of Upside Risk, an Atlanta firm that researches investor psychology, says sticking tangible assets in a safe can be a natural reaction to volatility in the markets. "People dislike loss twice as much as they like gains," he says. "They want to protect what they have." Growing numbers of these fearful types simply don't trust their banks to protect them: In a Gallup poll last year, a record-high 36 percent of Americans said they had "very little" or "no" confidence in U.S. banks. (In 2008 and 2009, when the financial crisis was peaking, that figure stood at 22 and 29 percent, respectively.) And growing concern about identity theft has made some people more eager to keep their assets in a form they can see and count, says R. Brent Lang, an investment manager in Surrey, British Columbia: "By acquiring one password, someone can wipe out all your digital wealth," he says.

Still, it says something about the resilience of the American consumer's mentality that even when purchasing an item associated with all sorts of negatives (theft, fire, global economic collapse), more buyers are demanding products with a little flair. "When somebody is building a $100,000 custom closet, they don't want a safe that looks like it belongs in the back of a delicatessen," says Robert Tompkin, president of Prestige Safe, a high-end New York manufacturer. That sentiment has fed the growth of an incongruous industry, where financial paranoia meets a willingness to pursue a little luxury. When firearms collector Gary Hansen looked for a safe to store his $100,000 trove of rifles and pistols, he found out he could customize the interior so that his wife could also use it to store her jewelry -- in velour-covered drawers, no less. The cost? Around $7,500, but Hansen says the his-and-hers combo saved him from a lot of squabbling. "I knew it couldn't just be a safe for 'Gary's guns,'" he says. If there's an irony to this safety seeking, it's that the trend makes the stewards of most people's money -- their financial advisers -- throw up their hands in frustration. "It's all based on fear and the failure to look long-term," says Mark Matson, founder and chief executive of the Cincinnati investment firm that bears his name. Matson and others find themselves stating the obvious: You can't earn anything on a $100 bill that's sitting in storage. Even advisers who are bullish on gold generally don't like bullion or jewelry because it represents the commodity in its most illiquid form; it will take at least a trip or two to the local pawnshop or jeweler to cash in those coins and bracelets. Finally, when you put your savings in a safe, you can forget about collecting insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. if it actually does get stolen.

The safe industry doesn't take exception to arguments like these -- but theirs is not to question the logic of their growing customer base. For the market in general, the sweet spot remains what you find at the local Home Depot or Wal-Mart: plain combo-lock safes that sell for as little as $50. But even in this broader segment, there's room for innovation and styling. For example, SentrySafe, the nation's category leader, has rolled out a line of pink safes in support of breast-cancer research. The company has just come off the best year in its eight-decade history, with the help of products like these and customers like Jessica Savage, an advertising executive in Rochester, N.Y. Last November, Savage bought two of the pink safes at a charity event. Her 5- and 6-year-old daughters are fanatical about the color, she explains, and she thought the safes would be a good place to store the girls' papers, such as birth certificates and passports, along with keepsakes. "I call them treasure boxes," she says.

The more valuable the treasure, the more complicated the box. For Richard Krasilovsky, owner of Empire Safe, a New York retailer that's been in business for more than a century, that means an emphasis on customization: A safe can be designed to fit into any space -- beneath a staircase, inside a closet -- with appropriate finishes and fronts (say, European ash burl wood), and interiors can be crafted to suit the needs of the buyer. There's also a steady market for James Bond worthy "diversion" or "decoy" safes -- like those fronted by bookcases or curio cabinets. Customization has its costs, certainly. Krasilovsky says a job can run $3,000 and up -- way up, especially for the small coterie of customers who want a safe that can stand front and center as an objet d'art. Need a secure place to store your cigars? Dottling, the German manufacturer, suggests its $23,000 Colosimo safe, a tabletop model that's billed as "the smallest high-security safe in the world." "It's a toy for big boys," says owner Markus Dottling.

Pessimists like precious metals collector Don Magnus, though, aren't looking for toys; they want their safes to be simple, bulky and Armageddon-ready. "I'm worried about the banks crashing," says Magnus, who's keeping his stash of gold and silver bullion in a $200 home safe, bolted to the concrete floor of his basement. By his estimate, gold will climb to $5,000 an ounce, and in a financial panic, consumers won't get access to their bank accounts for a "long period of time, if ever." After a nasty one-two punch in recent years -- a bad hurricane near his home, then the financial crisis -- North Carolina contractor Pat Brabble spent $9,500 on two plain but very large safes, including one "you could fit five people in," he says. The safes hold gold, silver and cash totaling about $7,000 in value, Brabble says. He's also holding on to about 50 bottles of Jack Daniels. "I don't drink," he says, but "if things do fall apart, I've got something I can trade with."

For their part, security experts say that a more expensive or elaborate safe is not necessarily a safer safe. Most take a dim view when it comes to "diversion" concepts, because they often rely more on trickery than on, say, state-of-the-art locks. "You don't replace security by obscurity," says Christopher Falkenberg, president of Insite Advanced Security Management in New York. Antique safes -- a hot-selling category -- pose a different issue in that they tend to be built less sturdily than high-end safes today. Guy Zani Jr., an antique safe collector and dealer in New Port Richey, Fla., who owns about 100 safes, notes that some highly prized 19th-century safes are made with wood. "You could take a fire ax and go right through the side," he says.

But modern safes have their own issues as well: For example, custom or other small-production safes often reach the market without undergoing the rigorous testing for theft and fire common to off-the-shelf models. At the same time, ratings pose other problems. Retailers say they confuse many buyers, who fail to understand that just because a safe is rated for fire, it doesn't mean it's theft-proof, and vice versa. Underwriters Laboratories, a certification group that rates safes for fire and theft protection, agrees there's a degree of misunderstanding: "People think a safe is a safe," says John Drengenberg, the group's consumer-safety director. And even a top-rated safe isn't impenetrable. As the ratings imply, all a better safe does is buy more time -- whether it's time in a fire or time at the mercy of a burglar with a crowbar.

That said, the pros in the field generally agree that you're better off safe than sorry -- and that many folks are more likely to use a safe if it's attractive. Which is precisely the way Zani, the safe collector and dealer, feels about the vault in which he stores his "mad money" (about equal to a house payment or two). It's a safe he considers a true work of art: an 1867 model with a hand-painted exterior covered in 22-karat gold leaf. Zani estimates the safe is worth $10,000. But it's also a mini-fortress, protecting his stuff behind nine layers of steel plate. (The door alone weighs 500 pounds.) "It's the difference," he

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Why do the scammers want cash to be sent using a money transfer service?How much could I lose in a fake check scam?How can I prevent becoming a victim?What if I deposited or cashed the check or money order but haven’t sent the cash yet?What if I have already sent the cash?What are law enforcement agencies doing?What are the Web sites that scammers use to find victims doing?What are financial institutions and money transfer and delivery services doing?What are legitimate sweepstakes companies doing?What can I do?What are some other popular scams?

Many people aren't sure if they have been or are about to be become a victim of fraud. Take the following risk assessment tests and see if you are a potential victim:

Is your computer Protected?Is You Child at Risk on Line?Are you protecting your identity?Are you safe from Financial Fraud Opportunities?Are you an unwitting accomplice in Crime?Are you at Risk to be Scammed Through an Internet Auction?Authentic or Counterfeit?Are you the Lucky winner in a sweepstakes or Lottery?CLICK BELOW FOR TESTShttp://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/tests.aspx

Identity theft is frequently in the news these days and with good reason. It's become one of the most common crimes and anyone can become a victim of it. This is unfortunate because identity theft can be devastating. It can destroy your credit, drain your finances, and affect your reputation. However, you can fight back. Here are nine easy things you can do to protect your identity:

One of the best ways to protect your identity is by using a paper shredder. You should shred any document that contains personal information: canceled checks, bank statements, old credit reports, and so on. Cross-cut shredders offer much more security than strip-cut models and there are some devices that can shred items like credit cards and CD's. Shredders are available in a variety of sizes so it's easy to find one that's perfect for your needs and budget.

Whenever you're at an ATM or making a purchase with your debit card, make sure that no one can see which numbers you're pressing as you enter your PIN. Likewise, give people space when they're paying for something or banking. It's all about common courtesy.

Take care when creating passwords for websites. It's a good idea to use different passwords for different sites and to change your passwords on a regular basis. If you have trouble remembering your passwords, use a program like Password Safe that will keep them under wraps but still allow you to cut and paste them into web forms.

Make sure you pick up your mail daily and to mail your items at the post office. It's very easy for someone to break into your personal mailbox and if there's mail in it, he or she will have access to a wealth of personal information.

Take the time to read your bank and credit card statements every month so you can detect any fraud that may have occurred. You should also check your credit report on a regular basis and alert the credit bureaus if you notice any suspicious activity. You can get your credit report for free once a year, so be sure to take advantage of the opportunity.

Safeguard your banking information

When you're making a purchase or paying a bill online, you should make sure that you're using a secured site. The easiest way to tell if a website is secure or not is to look at the beginning of the URL. If the beginning reads “https://” you're good to go. Also, try not to make online purchases with a cell phone. Chances are, the connection won't be secure.

You should try to limit the amount of credit cards you carry. Not only will this make it less likely for someone to steal your identity, you'll have better control over your finances and be less likely to find yourself in a lot of debt. You should also report lost cards when necessary and destroy expired or unwanted ones.

Keep your Social Security card and other important paperwork in a safe place such as a locked filing cabinet or a safety deposit box. Also, be careful about giving out your Social Security number. You should do so only when necessary.

When it comes time to move to a new residence, make sure you update your address with the post office, friends and relatives, creditors, etc. The last thing you need is to have a complete stranger receiving your mail.

Protecting your identity is easy to do as long as you make it a priority and stay vigilant. By following these tips, you'll be doing your part to make sure your identity stays safe. And if you do end up becoming a victim, let the proper authorities (local police, Federal Trade Commission, etc.) know right away so you can nip the problem in the bud. Good luck!

One of the best lists of crime prevention I’ve read. No wonder – it comes from a police department; talk about an experienced resource.

Thanks to my good friend Arminda Lindsay for forwarding this. It actually comes from Sergeant Butch Clark of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Hillsborough, NC.

Read and be safe.

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste… and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it..

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom – and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door – understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU :

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation.

8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis , who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Protection for you and your home:

If you don’t have a gun, here’s a more humane way to wreck someone’s evil plans for you.. (I guess I can get rid of the baseball bat.):

WASP SPRAY

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you.

The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn’t attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE….

On the heels of a break-in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self-defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High School . For decades, he’s suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.

Glinka says, “This is better than anything I can teach them.”

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, “spray the culprit in the eyes”.

It’s a tip he’s given to students for decades. It’s also one he wants everyone to hear. If you’re looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.

“That’s going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out.”

If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it.

It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won’t stick around. After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won’t want that.

And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

This would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can’t reach a phone.

In today’s Internet world of booming social networks, it’s easier to find lost friends and colleagues than it ever was before. In fact, the private world of yesterday is now an online world with open access to social networks, government databases, and public records. If you’re looking for a long lost friend, or maybe want to do a background check on someone, consider the following free resources to find people on the internet.

Crawl the Internet The Internet is essentially a giant database, overflowing with data points about individuals. Today, it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t commented on a blog entry, made a post in an online forum, or registered at Facebook or Flickr. The Internet is filled with opportunities to create a profile, and every single profile provides the Internet with additional data points about you that people can use to find you when they need to.

There are many websites that search standard social networks like MySpace or Facebook, but Pipl is one resource that conducts a “deep web” dig for the name you’re looking for on “non-typical sites.” The search results from Piple are pretty impressive. You can read about how to use Piple at this article by Karl. Conducting a deep search for myself, I found that the results covered data pulled from profiles at MySpace, Facebook, and countless other sites like article directories and blogs. I was especially impressed by Piple’s efforts to dig for email addresses and content within miscellaneous web pages.

Another powerful search is Google’s Blog Search which will find anyone who has published to a blog on the Internet. The results on this search turned up my published articles at MakeUseOf, those at my three blogs, and even articles that I wrote for clients and had completely forgotten about.

Probably the most powerful tool to find someone who may have only posted to the internet a long time ago is Google Groups. Google Groups has incorporated over 800 million Usenet messages into its database, an impressive 20 year’s worth of Internet conversations dating back to 1981.

By far, one of the best search engine crawlers for finding people through searching all types of Internet content is 123people. I found that this website was able to find more accurate hits when I searched for myself than most other identity search engines.

Just a straight search without location found dozens of weblinks blogs, social network profiles and documents, most of which were an accurate hit. Needless to say, I’d recommend 123people to anyone looking to find if anyone they know has any content whatsoever published on the Internet about them.

Searching Social Networks Social networks are very hard to avoid on the Internet. It’s impossible not to get sucked into a forum discussion, a Facebook group game, or connecting with industry leaders on LinkedIn. Because of this, the odds are very good that the person you’re looking for has registered and created a profile in at least one of those networks.

YoName is one free website that searches through a list of over thirty popular and obscure social networks including Imeem, LinkedIn, FaceBook, MySpace, Yahoo 360, Flickr, and Zorpia. We’ve examined it before at MakeUseOf. The results are displayed in tabular format so you can select which social network search to focus on. I found that YoName could only find a few of my online profiles.

Wink searches social networks such as MySpace, Reunion, LinkedIn, Friendster, and others. Wink results were somewhat limited though, with only 28 results and only one of those was an accurate “hit.”

Spokeo is a powerful social network tool that searches through a huge list of social networks and websites. It discovers things that aren’t very easy to find, like hidden Facebook profiles, posts or comments to YouTube, blogs or comments on Blogger, accounts on Flickr, Twitter, WebShots and more. The results are comprehensive and include results from over 40 major websites.

The only drawback is that to sign up you have to provide Spokeo with your email address and password so that it can actually access your email account and extract your contacts.

Jobs and Companies If you know where someone works, but you don’t have their contact information, then tracing them by company or industry is your best option. There are several tools available that can help.

Jobster is a large database of job listings where you can find people not only by name, but within a certain industry or specific company. You can sift through the huge database of folks who’ve added their profile to Jobster in hopes of landing employment.

Another great industry search site is ZoomInfo, which is focused on company details. If you have a profile on the internet that lists your affiliation with a company, the odds are good that you’re in the ZoomInfo database. I even found myself listed in the database as co-owner of RealityUncovered, which is true, but it was only part of a few online profiles – meaning ZoonInfo can crawl profiles for company affiliations. Very impressive.

Online Public Records Search Of course, if you’re conducting a full background check on someone, then you’ll want to find the following information:

Residences over the last few years

Criminal record check

Driving record

Birthday and birth location (for citizenship verification)

Child predator check

If a person has a criminal record or any court ruling, it’s amazing how much information you can find about it online. If you know a name and birthdate of the person you’re looking for, that’s all you really need – although the location information would make the search go even more smoothly.

Zaba Search is one of the best sites for conducting free public records queries. Using Zaba Search, you can determine a person’s exact past and current addresses and phone numbers. If you want a detailed report of all past addresses, relatives, criminal history, bakrupcies, small claims judgments and more, it’ll cost about $50 through Intelius. You can also conduct a phone number search, which is nice if you receive a prank phonecall from someone you don’t know. It will give you the latitude and longitude of the location, but for specific details you need to purchase an Intelius reverse lookup.

Google Government search sets the bar high with the ability to search through government news reports and even government websites. By searching names, you’ll often discover someone involved in government research, grants, or non-profit activities.

If you suspect the person you’re looking for is in prison, then search the state or federal inmate locator directories. Just pick a state, or search through the federal system.

USA.gov provides a huge database for all state and federal agencies. Most services where you need to pay for background details on a person come from these free state and federal agency databases. You can find the data for free by searching through this website to find those agencies and conducting the search yourself. For example, digging through the state of Maine agencies I found where you can search through Maine criminal records.

Criminal Searches is one of the first truly free search websites that allow you to call up the criminal records of anyone based on name, location, birthday or age range. To test it, I searched for the record of a person in California who I know, from previous research, has a criminal record there. Sure enough, Criminal searches found it.

The results also offer the source of information (court office) where you can send for a copy of the entire case records (for a fee). Is this easy online access freedom of information or invasion of privacy? Should your criminal records be on public display on the Internet? Or is it more important for the public to know who the former criminals are and where they live? Either way, Criminal Searches is leading the way in making this information both public and very convenient.

Make it Simple When it comes right down to it, you want to be able to find someone quickly and free. The sites above will help, but in most cases you’ll need to at least learn a few details about the person, like their birthday or the state they live in. Once you have those details, the volume of information you can find online about a person is amazing, and at times shocking.

Have you ever tried to search and find people on the internet? Do you feel easy access to personal records is an invasion of privacy or an important public right? What other free online people search tools do you know about for looking for people? Share your opinions and sites in the comment section below.

Thanks to Lakehouse @ Going Global - Good time to repost this...Please keep in mind this does not just apply to financial planners...bankers, trusts, etc.

Friday, July 22, 2011 Your Dream of a Lifetime ...

Your dream of a lifetime .. if handled correctly, could be your children's dream and their children's dream .. right on down the line ...Everyday another site offering investment opportunities of a lifetime are popping up. It seems that anyone these days can pass themselves off as a certified financial advisor. And .. although they may claim to have credentials, it is up to you, the investor, to ask the hard questions. Don't assume because they tell you they have a series 1,2,or 3 license, that they are qualified to invest your hard earned money. Never, ever, feel like you are the ignorant one when they start throwing around terms that you never heard before. The scammer wants you to believe that they know more than you and they want you to believe that Your money will be safe in Their hands.

You may know them as those annoying scraps of paper that litter your purse or flutter from your wallet at inopportune moments, but receipts for credit card transactions are actually worth paying attention to.

Here's what you probably didn't know about them, but should:

Receipts are more secure than you think ... Unless a merchant made a big mistake, you won't see your whole credit card number on a receipt. That's because the federal Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act -- an amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act that took effect in 2006 -- legislated that for better financial security, only the last four or five digits of your card number can appear. That's why you see something like XXX-XXXX-1234 instead. Your card expiration date can't show either.

... but receipts aren't totally thief-proof. Your truncated card number isn't enough to steal, but those digits "should still be treated as sensitive, confidential information," says Jamie May, chief investigator at AllClear ID, an identity protection company. Scam artists who get their hands on even part of your card number can use it to phish for the whole number by posing as your credit card issuer or utility company over the phone. "Your card company will never call you and ask you to give them your whole card number," May says. "A good rule of thumb is to hang up and call them back at a number you know is theirs."

Receipt numbers aren't just gobbledygook. Besides the recognizable parts of your receipt, like your truncated card number and the date, are a slew of mysterious numbers. They're not alien communications; they're codes that identify the store to the company that processes their credit card payments -- for instance, a merchant ID number, an approval code, a reference sequencing number and sometimes a terminal number to identify which cash register took the payment. They're generally the same on every receipt issued by the same store. Consider them behind-the-scenes details that you can safely ignore.

Store copies and customer copies are the same. You've eaten a nice restaurant meal, tallied the tip and signed the credit card receipt -- only to realize that you've walked off with the wrong copy. "It's usually not a problem," says Heather Petersen, CEO of National Merchants Association, a payment and transaction processor. Most companies now put the tip and signature line on both copies of the receipt, so it's not a big deal if you signed the wrong one. Even if you left only an unsigned copy of the receipt, your dinner will still get charged.

You can sign as Mickey Mouse, but you shouldn't. Speaking of signatures, they matter more than you think. In an ideal world, a cashier should compare the signature on your receipt to the one on the back of your credit card. However, that rarely happens these days, and certainly no one at the bank is scrutinizing electronic signatures. That doesn't mean you're free to scrawl whatever you want, though. "This is a legally binding contract," says Petersen. "It states right on there that the undersigned agrees to pay." If the seller does notice that you signed a silly name, he can void the transaction. Plus, if you need to dispute a fraudulent charge, the signature can be a key bit of evidence. Signing your receipt "Kim Kardashian" will not help your case.

Your receipt and your bill may not always match. When your credit card bill arrives, pull out your receipts and make sure what you signed for is actually what you were charged, paying particular attention to transactions where you wrote in a tip. It's easy for a cashier to mis-key the wrong amount or to fraudulently add a few bucks to your tip. Plus, if you messed up on your math, your cashier will generally go by what the total is -- but not always. "It could be a case where they take the liberty of saying, ‘I'm pretty sure they meant $5, so I'm going to charge $5,'" says May. If something is off, your credit card receipt gives you the ammo to dispute the charge with your credit card company.

It's wise to keep your receipts around. "By far the best reason for archiving receipts is in case of an IRS audit," says Jake Brereton, marketing manager for Shoeboxed, a company that digitizes customers' receipts. But it's also helpful in case you need it to use a warranty, get a refund challenge a charge or (duh!) make a return. With Shoeboxed, you mail in an envelope of receipts and wait for them to be added to your cloud-based archive; basic service starts at $10 a month. To do it yourself, file receipts for a year or two, then shred.

Old-fashioned isn't best. Remember those clunky machines that cashiers once used to make an imprint of your credit card? Occasionally you still see them (or hand-written receipts) when small businesses lack the infrastructure to process your credit payment electronically. It seems like an innocent throwback, but "those are riskiest kinds of transactions," warns May, because you have no idea what happens to your credit card number afterwards. If a salesperson hauls out the old-school imprint machine, it's best to go get some cash.

You don't have to get a receipt. If you don't plan on keeping your receipt, don't ask for it. "It's better to not have it than throw it in the trash," points out Petersen -- not only because it's not secure, but because it's a waste. Plus, many retailers have moved toward electronic receipts and ask whether you'd like your receipt emailed to you vs. receiving a paper receipt. According to some estimates, it takes approximately 9.6 million trees to create the 640,000 tons of paper that go into receipts each year. So, if you choose an emailed receipt or just hit "no receipt" when you pay at the pump, you'll be doing yourself a financial and environmental favor.

Someone put up a post about being asked for his driver's license while trying to purchase more dinar and he was upset and wanted to cancel his purchase. There is a legitimate reason for the request and it is actually for YOUR protection. Read on ...

All this commerce by computer is making some strange demands on us, the consumer. I read your post and thought, this must be the next "glitch" that are going to have people pulling their hair out. This used to be an area of expertise for me years ago and though things change, they don't change all that much. So, try this on for size.

Some not-so-nice people, let's call them crooks, will get hold of some of your personal information. Oh heck let's call them identity thieves, it fits. It is fairly easy to get your credit card number, they can get it without you even opening your wallet with some of the newest scanning equipment. ...They are still getting card numbers with the old double receipt ploy and several other sneaky tricks. But those numbers do not always come with an address. Take a look at your credit cards. Do any of them have your address on them? Didn't think so.

So, these crooks, oh no, I mean these identity thieves get your credit card number. They go on line and they buy ... oh, let's say three million dinar, just as a for instance.

First of all, if the card is declined at the end of the transaction, they will re-enter the information for the purchase of two million. See, if the card isn't authorized for the amount they are trying to charge, it will be declined.

By lowering the amount once or twice, the thieves are likely to hit on the right amount that will be accepted. If they blow it altogether and none of it is accepted and maybe their lowest amount of the three would be say $1000, then they will try again in a couple of days.

If they try more than three times and it is declined that often, an immediate red flag goes up and you may get a call from the credit card company asking if you are in possession of your card and have you been trying to use it in the past hour, or whatever.

If you have not they warn you that your card may have been compromised. That someone has the number. And then you have the chance to have them stop all transactions on that number and give you a new number and card. Didn't know any of that?

Well, it could save you a bundle. If the crooks find out that your charging per day limit is $1000 they will charge just under that amount every day until the account limit is reached and the card declined.

Okay, lets get back to the address part of this. The identity thief will start out with your number. And they go through whatever process they have to in order to find out how much they can take at a time from your account. Then they will use it.

If they are ordering on line there is a place to put the delivery address. They can pick a vacant lot. They can specify one or two day delivery in a lot of cases. They can then take a van, wait at the address they gave, take delivery of the goods, and drive off.

In case a vacant lot seems to obvious, they will use an apartment building, and get in to the lobby area and wait there for the day. Each time someone comes to the door to come in, usually a resident, they will come and open the door for them. Why?

Because they want to meet the delivery person even before he tries to push a button for your apartment number, which may not even be on the listing, because the crook may have given a non-existent apartment.

But he will make sure that he is there to open that door. And when it is the delivery man, he'll ask where the delivery man is going because he (the crook) is waiting for a delivery. "Oh, that's me," he says. And he scribbles a signature and takes the package.

See, if the company you are buying from does not have your real address, and use a phoney supplied by the crook, then the delivery company is delivering to the phoney address and the crook is there waiting, and when you call to complain because you were charged for something you didn't get, didn't even order, didn't even want ... you are the one stuck paying anyway.

And if the crook can give a phoney address, maybe a real building but a phoney apartment number, one that doesn't exist ... the trail ends there.

So, to combat this, companies are now beginning to ask for proof of your address for shipping purposes. Hence the request for a fax of your drivers license.

The day may come when direct mailers and on line sellers may be able to tie into department of motor vehicles, or whatever it might be called where you live, and just by asking you your drivers license number they can look up your address to make sure the address they have been given for delivery is legitimate.

And that, dear DV friends, is why you may be asked for a copy of your driver's licence. So don't go off and get angry with the company ... it is just more progress.

(While the attorney's free security protection advice is all sound, please post an additional enhancement to his list. I am a bank compliance officer, which means my job is to keep up with all banking laws and regulations.)

There is a better protection for your credit report - FREEZE your credit report. You have to contact each bureau separately to do this. Use the toll free numbers the atty listed. You will be provided with a code that you must give to a bank for a loan or store for new charge card. DO NOT carry this code in your wallet!! Lenders cannot access your credit report at all without this code. The only other way to get around this freeze is for you to call and request the freeze be temporarily lifted for a certain period of time (week or two) or for a certain type of transaction. Example -- tell the bureaus you are going car shopping for the next week or 10 days. Car dealers or auto finance companies will be allowed access to your account.

If you experience a stolen wallet, cards or checks - the bureau will typically place a fraud alert on your report. Just means the lender should ask you a few more questions to confirm your ID. If your file a police report you can request an EXTENDED FRAUD VICTIM alert on your credit reports. For this you only have to call one bureau and that one has to let the others know as well. The Fraud Victim category requires you to provide an alternate contact means for the lender to call you to confirm your ID in a setting that is not face to face. If you only have a cell phone, this can be a problem. Also regardless of how much I yell at staff, they make loans all the time to folks with these alerts on their credit reports because too many "credit protection" or "credit repair" schemes just do this on your reports for a nice fee you paid to them for something you can do for free, and these crooks don't provide an alternate contact method - thus watering down the effectiveness of the purpose of a Fraud Alert or the Extended Fraud Victim alert for everyone. SO BE SURE TO FREEZE YOUR CREDIT REPORT for ultimate protection.

Not A Joke!! Even If you dislike attorneys..You will love them for these tips.Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company:

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers.

The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it....Read More Link On Right3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.

Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

It is also recommended to have Credit Cards and Driver Licenses protected from personal scanners with RFID protection -

I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards..

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month.

Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.

But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number.

I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name.

The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit..

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert.

Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

I have a new friend "Anonymous" and listener at The IQD Team who sends me some great info about everything to help us in thisjourney...I have posted these all on our website - the links are below for each one.

Lately we've all been hearing and seeing many commentaries on protecting your identity. Measures you can take, things you can do, etc. I wanted to drop in this quick idea which may save you money and effectively terminate much of the future unwanted calls by "vultures" and "sales professionals" after the RV - because like it or not, you are going to be on a "most wanted" hit list!!!

Here is what you can do after (or even now) the IQD RV....

After the RV, you will hire a personal Attorney, or even several personal Attorneys (i.e. Tax Attorney, Real Estate Attorney, etc.) and you will put him/her on "Retainer", which means you will hire them to handle some of your legal affairs and help you with contracts, etc.

One of the benefits of having an Attorney on Retainer is you can use their mailing address, and perhaps even their phone number to receive all of your future solicitation and bills! There are even dedicated services designed for this very thing for high profile individuals (i.e. Hollywood Celebrities and Entertainment Stars).

You can make arrangements with your Attorney to have this done through your Attorney's Law Firm. You will need to work it out with them exactly how they will want it formatted. So, lets say you hire a Real Estate Attorney to work with you to purchase real estate, you can have all of your Real Estate Tax records sent to his mailing address at the Law Firm! You could also do this with another Attorney that works with you as your Tax Attorney, use his Firms address for all of your mailing addresses that are used on your tax returns and legal entities (ie Corporations, LLCs etc.).

You Don't Have To Take That Annoying Call...

If the Law Firm does not want to take your phone calls, that is okay! It may even be better you don't use your Attorney's Law Firm - I'm sure his billing for phone calls will add up quickly!!!

There are plenty of very affordable answering services (think Salt Lake City, Utah) that will pre-screen all of your calls and only forward to you the "white-listed" (i.e. Mom and Dad, siblings and maybe even your spouse... LOL).

But, in short, with these services, you can get a toll free number (or regular phone number, if that is what you really want) that is owned by the Answering Service, and you will have them answer your calls for you! The key here being "owned by the Answering Service" - so if someone "Googles" your phone number, they will only turn up the name of this Answering Service and their physical address, and not your name and your address!

Your Website Can Give You Away...If you have a website, I suggest you get a "Private Registration" type of service - most major Domain Registrars sell this service for under $10/year. A very cheap price to pay to hide your identity. And don't go spending $10/year to hide your name with "Private Registration" and then put your name and private email and private phone contact info on your website! (I've seen it done! LOL!!!)

If you have an exotic domain (i.e. a .FM) and some of the few other domains that currently don't allow for a "Private Registration", then use your Attorney's mailing address and your Answering Service for the Phone number. Also, I would suggest setting up a "fake" email on a free email service like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo to list as your email address for that registration.

In Conclusion...

I'm no "Rocket Scientist" (just ask my friends on Facebook) but I will tell you that these tips come from many years of being in Business and also from having a "closer than I like" relationship with Attorneys! Luckily almost all of the Attorneys I've worked with in Business are GREAT people with a love for the people they work for, and a deep hatred for their "Ambulance-Chasing" Colleagues!

SAN FRANCISCO — When Kenneth G. Lieberthal, a China expert at the Brookings Institution, travels to that country, he follows a routine that seems straight from a spy film.. Kenneth G. Lieberthal of the Brookings Institution takes precautions while traveling. He leaves his cellphone and laptop at home and instead brings “loaner” devices, which he erases before he leaves the United States and wipes clean the minute he returns. In China, he disables Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, never lets his phone out of his sight and, in meetings, not only turns off his phone but also removes the battery, for fear his microphone could be turned on remotely. He connects to the Internet only through an encrypted, password-protected channel, and copies and pastes his password from a USB thumb drive. He never types in a password directly, because, he said, “the Chinese are very good at installing key-logging software on your laptop.” What might have once sounded like the behavior of a paranoid is now standard operating procedure for officials at American government agencies, research groups and companies that do business in China and Russia — like Google, the State Department and the Internet security giant McAfee. Digital espionage in these countries, security experts say, is a real and growing threat — whether in pursuit of confidential government information or corporate trade secrets. “If a company has significant intellectual property that the Chinese and Russians are interested in, and you go over there with mobile devices, your devices will get penetrated,” said Joel F. Brenner, formerly the top counterintelligence official in the office of the director of national intelligence. Theft of trade secrets was long the work of insiders — corporate moles or disgruntled employees. But it has become easier to steal information remotely because of the Internet, the proliferation of smartphones and the inclination of employees to plug their personal devices into workplace networks and cart proprietary information around. Hackers’ preferred modus operandi, security experts say, is to break into employees’ portable devices and leapfrog into employers’ networks — stealing secrets while leaving nary a trace. Targets of hack attacks are reluctant to discuss them and statistics are scarce. Most breaches go unreported, security experts say, because corporate victims fear what disclosure might mean for their stock price, or because those affected never knew they were hacked in the first place. But the scope of the problem is illustrated by an incident at the United States Chamber of Commerce in 2010. The chamber did not learn that it — and its member organizations — were the victims of a cybertheft that had lasted for months until the Federal Bureau of Investigation told the group that servers in China were stealing information from four of its Asia policy experts, who frequent China. By the time the chamber secured its network, hackers had pilfered at least six weeks worth of e-mails with its member organizations, which include most of the nation’s largest corporations. Later still, the chamber discovered that its office printer and even a thermostat in one of its corporate apartments were still communicating with an Internet address in China. The chamber did not disclose how hackers had infiltrated its systems, but its first step after the attack was to bar employees from taking devices with them “to certain countries,” notably China, a spokesman said. The implication, said Jacob Olcott, a cybersecurity expert at Good Harbor Consulting, was that devices brought into China were hacked. “Everybody knows that if you are doing business in China, in the 21st century, you don’t bring anything with you. That’s ‘Business 101’ — at least it should be.” Neither the Chinese nor Russian embassies in Washington responded to several requests for comment. But after Google accused Chinese hackers of breaking into its systems in 2010, Chinese officials gave this statement: “China is committed to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of foreign companies in our country.” Still, United States security experts and government officials say they are increasingly concerned about breaches from within these countries into corporate networks — whether through mobile devices or other means. Last week, James R. Clapper, the director of national intelligence, warned in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee about theft of trade secrets by “entities” within China and Russia. And Mike McConnell, a former director of national intelligence, and now a private consultant, said in an interview, “In looking at computer systems of consequence — in government, Congress, at the Department of Defense, aerospace, companies with valuable trade secrets — we’ve not examined one yet that has not been infected by an advanced persistent threat.” (Page 2 of 2) Both China and Russia prohibit travelers from entering the country with encrypted devices unless they have government permission. When officials from those countries visit the United States, they take extra precautions to prevent the hacking of their portable devices, according to security experts. Now, United States companies, government agencies and organizations are doing the same by imposing do-not-carry rules. Representative Mike Rogers, the Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said its members could bring only “clean” devices to China and were forbidden from connecting to the government’s network while abroad. As for himself, he said he traveled “electronically naked.” At the State Department, employees get specific instruction on how to secure their devices in Russia and China, and are briefed annually on general principles of security. At the Brookings Institution, Mr. Lieberthal advises companies that do business in China. He said that there was no formal policy mandating that employees leave their devices at home, “but they certainly educate employees who travel to China and Russia to do so.” McAfee, the security company, said that if any employee’s device was inspected at the Chinese border, it could never be plugged into McAfee’s network again. Ever. “We just wouldn’t take the risk,” said Simon Hunt, a vice president. At AirPatrol, a company based in Columbia, Md., that specializes in wireless security systems, employees take only loaner devices to China and Russia, never enable Bluetooth and always switch off the microphone and camera. “We operate under the assumption that we will inevitably be compromised,” said Tom Kellermann, the company’s chief technology officer and a member of President Obama’s commission on cybersecurity. Google said it would not comment on its internal travel policies, but employees who spoke on condition of anonymity said the company prohibited them from bringing sensitive data to China, required they bring only loaner laptops or have their devices inspected upon their return. Federal lawmakers are considering bills aimed at thwarting cybertheft of trade secrets, although it is unclear whether this legislation would directly address problems that arise from business trips overseas. In the meantime, companies are leaking critical information, often without realizing it. “The Chinese are very good at covering their tracks,” said Scott Aken, a former F.B.I. agent who specialized in counterintelligence and computer intrusion. “In most cases, companies don’t realize they’ve been burned until years later when a foreign competitor puts out their very same product — only they’re making it 30 percent cheaper.” “We’ve already lost our manufacturing base,” he said. “Now we’re losing our R.& D. base. If we lose that, what do we fall back on?”

_PD: Changing Phone Number Optionspost found at Peoples Dinar in June 2011

I was looking on line for phone options and I found a very cool one (Private TIME PT1000) this might be an options for people that don't want to change their phone number this is a list of what it does: (not promoting anything just giving you a little info that might help)

How many unwanted calls do you get every day from telemarketers, wrong numbers, blocked calls and unidentified callers? Too many. Now there’s a way to stop these unwanted callers from disturbing you: Private TIME from Command Communications.

Private TIME is a high-quality telephone/speakerphone and digital answering machine with an important difference: A unique Private TIME button, that when activated, allows only callers with code to ring through. Telemarketers are commanded to hang up, while others are able to leave messages on its built-in answering machine, even without your Ring-Through Code.

If you know the Ring-Through Code, please enter the number now, otherwise, leave a message at the tone – TELEMARKETERS, PERMANENTLY REMOVE THIS NUMBER FROM YOUR LIST AND IMMEDIATELY HANG UP! ” Simply give your code to people you want to get calls from - all other calls are automatically sent to its built-in answering machine No phones in your home will ring unless callers enter your code Ring-Through Code is programmable (1- 4 digits) Bright red Private TIME button lights TWO TIMER SETTINGS MANUAL – Private TIME feature will stay on until you turn it off HOUR TIMER – Sets duration for one hour – lets you enjoy your PrivateTIME while eating dinner, watching a movie, reading a book or during your baby’s nap NORMAL MODE – Private TIME feature is OFF: Outgoing message #1 is your normal message: (example only, user must record): “We are not available, please leave a message." Operates as a regular phone and answering machine All phones in your home ring normally Unanswered calls go to answering machine after two, four or seven rings (programmable DIGITAL ANSWERING MACHINE Digital answering machine holds up to 16 minutes of messages No tapes or moving parts to break Voice time/day stamp for each incoming message Two-way recording allows you to record both sides of a conversation Answers after two, four or seven rings Remote operation from any touch-tone phone Memory backup saves messages in case of power failure when battery (not included) is installed SPEAKERPHONE Hands-free operation Volume control AND MORE OFF-HOOK ALERT – Audible alarm and visual indicator alert you to any extension phone left off hook throughout your home – ideal for homes with children or elderly SPEED DIAL – Three one-touch speed dial buttons for your most frequently called numbers MEMORY DIAL – 12 memory dial numbers REMOTE ROOM MONITOR – Calling from any touch-tone phone while away from your home, you can monitor the room where your Private TIME is located

GPS A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that friends she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard.

When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen.

The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house.

The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.,,Read More Link on Right__ Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your homeaddress in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so youcan still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would knowwhere you live if your GPS were stolen.

MOBILE PHONES I never thought of this.......This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet... Etc...was stolen.

20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text askingabout our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.'

When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolencell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pinnumber. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from theirbankaccount.

Moral of the lesson: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people inyour contact list.

Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

*PLEASE PASS THIS ON * I never thought about the above! As of now, I no longer have 'home' listed on my cell phoneSource

For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.

Check out the things that you can do with it: FIRST (Emergency)The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out. SECOND (Hidden Battery Power)Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time. THIRD (How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone? ) To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone: *#06# . A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

And Finally.... FORTH (Free Directory Service for Cells)Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE411 or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now. This is sponsored by McDonalds. This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

Dislike: How Facebook Can Hurt Your CreditPosted 6 days ago by Libby Kane

Forget “you are what you eat.” When it comes to your trustworthiness as as borrower, you are who you know … online.

Social networks are now being used by some lenders to evaluate whether you’re likely to pay them back.

The New York Observer reports that, while this methodology is still a few years away from common use by major banks, smaller institutions such as microlender Lenddo already use an algorithm based on input from a person’s various social networks to determine her creditworthiness. And more are likely to adopt the practice in the future.

Here’s the kicker: The information used by the algorithm isn’t just what you’ve made public—the banks are requiring your login information. Everything you can see, they can see. And they could even potentially send messages to your contacts.

From the perspective of the banks, “birds of a feather flock together.” They want to reach more customers likely to use their products through you. For a consumer who wants a loan, banks having more information isn’t necessarily better—especially when it’s open to interpretation.What an Algorithm Can See

When you register with a bank that uses a system like this, you would be required to verify your login info for your social networks, like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Information from the accounts would then be fed into the algorithm, and, using what it could glean from your social media profile and networks, the bank would pass judgment on your borrowing merit. The algorithms, still in development, are closely guarded secrets at present, but they’re essentially a way of crunching even more complex factors to assess how big of a credit risk you might be. As Lenddo’s CEO recently put it, “There’s no reason there shouldn’t be thousands of engineers working to assess creditworthiness.”So, What’s the Problem?

The fear isn’t so much that the information gleaned from your networks will affect your actual score, but that gaining access to extraneous information that’s currently illegal for a lender to request (like race, marital status and receipt of public assistance) will contribute to systematic discrimination known as “redlining,” where certain segments of the population could be refused loans or charged higher rates based on racial, sexual or other prejudice.

Even seemingly innocuous social info can be damaging to customers. In one case, a Canadian woman’s disability payments for depression were revoked after her employer’s insurance company saw pictures of a beach vacation she’d posted on Facebook. While insurance fraud is common, in this instance, the 29-year-old woman’s doctor had advised her to exercise and socialize with friends. Then, without any notice, the checks stopped coming.Why Your Networks Matter to Financial Institutions1. To Leverage Your Connections

This means that banks will both judge you on your friends and use you to make new ones of their own. Their logic? If your friends are upstanding citizens who pay off their loans, you will be, too. And, reciprocally, if you’re responsible, they’re ripe for targeted marketing. Banks can’t message your friends directly, but they can gather names and contact information from the profiles of people in your social circle. 2. To Make Sure You Pay

As anyone who has read “Confessions of a Shopaholic” knows, avoidance is a key tactic when dodging bill collectors. But when the people you owe are authorized to contact your Facebook connections about unsettled accounts, it’s a different story. Although this wouldn’t be any institution’s first course of action, it’s within Lenddo’s rights to post on your own public Facebook wall that you’re behind on payments. And you have to agree to that when you sign up—it’s part of the terms and conditions.What Can We Do?

Keep an eye on the developments. At the moment, the algorithms are still about three to five years away from public adoption, so there’s no need to panic. But keep in mind that no matter how adept your manipulation of Facebook privacy settings, they’re ineffective to someone who can login as you. If the social network algorithm enters mainstream use, the only real way to eliminate judgment is to refuse to sign those papers to grant lenders access to your networks.

As Dan Tynan of PC World puts it: “Will you be legally required to give your bank access to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn profiles when you need credit? Probably not. But they won’t be legally required to approve your loan, either.”